By F. D. Adkins
She stood in line, the thick stack of papers crinkling between her trembling fingers. Squeezing her eyes closed, she swallows the baseball-size lump in her throat. How could I have committed so many violations? What am I going to do? I can’t pay for all these tickets. Just as the thought passes through her mind, another scream echoes from the front of the line and then fades into the distance. She has heard a lot of screams today. Probably, because like me, they can’t afford to pay the court, she thinks to herself.
As the line moves forward, she tries her best to block out her surroundings, and before she realizes it, only one person is left in front of her. Water pools in her eyes and trickles down her face as the man in front of her approaches the bench. She drops her head hoping no one will notice her tears.
Startling her, a piercing wail causes her to snatch her head up. The man in front of her is gone, but his painful shrieks still reverberate around her.
“Next,” a voice booms from the bench.
She takes a step toward the bench wondering where the voice came from. No one appears to be behind the desk. She takes another step thinking maybe someone would pop up.
“Next!” the voice thunders louder.
Her stomach twists, and the papers fly from her hands. In a panic, she falls to the floor snatching them up as fast as she can. Suddenly, another set of hands is picking up the papers too.
“Ma’am, it looks like you are going to owe a pretty hefty fine.”
She lifts her eyes to meet the face attached to the helping hands. “Y-yes. It seems that I have made more than a few bad choices.” She takes a shallow breath and takes the stack of papers from the man’s extended hand. “Mistakes that I can’t pay for.”
The man tucks his hand under her elbow and tugs her to her feet. “How about I just pay this debt for you?”
“What?” Her pitch rises in surprise.
“I asked if I could pay the debt for you,” he says without skipping a beat.
“Oh, if you could, I would pay you back. I promise.” Relief floods through her words.
“No need, ma’am. Just accept this payment as my gift to you.”
“I-I d-don’t know what to say. I can’t believe you would do this for me. Thank you… thank you so much,” she sputters out as the sounds of all those piercing screams replay in her mind.
He takes the stack of papers from her hands and steps up to the desk. Then, he pulls a rusty nail from his pocket and dips it in a bottle of red ink on the table. Red droplets drip onto the pages as he scribbles the words “PAID IN FULL” on each one.
After he is finished, he turns, lifts his hand, and wipes his fingertips beneath her eyes swiping away the tears. “It is taken care of. You are free.”
“Th-thank you.” She pivots to walk away but turns back. “Sir, why would you do this for me? I know lots of people here today haven’t been able to pay. Why me?”
“Ma’am, I’ve already paid the debt for everyone here. It’s just that some wouldn’t accept my gift.”
The bloodcurdling cries echo through her head once more, and she crinkles her forehead in confusion. “But why… why would anyone not accept your gift?”
***
“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” Romans 3:23 KJV
Every person past and present except for Jesus has sinned. Jesus went to that cross as an innocent lamb and gave His life shedding His own blood to pay the debt for our sins. But we have to accept the payment He made for us. We have to believe that He died and rose again. If we have accepted His gift and asked Him to be our Lord and Savior, the debt we owe for all the mistakes we have made… all of those bad choices… all those sins have been stamped “PAID IN FULL” with the blood of Jesus. Those chains that would have bound us into forever darkness and eternal punishment have been broken, and we are free.
